It Walks by Night by John Dickson Carr, Martin Edwards

A man is found dead in the card room of the local establishment.  They had police guards there as well as the inspector and no one saw anyone go in or out.  His head has been lobbed off.  Who could do such a horrid thing and then disappear?

Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 3rd.

Bencolin is a very smart detective but this is almost beyond him.  All the doors were guarded, the window is too high for anyone to have jumped.  Being puzzled, he calls together his friends and discusses it.  The newly wed woman mourns her loss.  The reason all the polce were there was to protect the dead man.  His brides ex-husband escaped the jail he was in for attempted murder of his wife, had plastic surgery, then killed the surgeon.  No one knows what he looks like now but they assume he'll be after the new husband.  It looks like he succeeded.

Then there is another murder.  Bencolin thinks he knows who the murderer is but the others don't agree.  Can he prove it?  Can he get a confession?  Yes, he does...